Court of Appeal Dismisses Benue APC Leadership Dispute

The Court of Appeal, sitting in Makurdi on Wednesday, struck out the Notice of Appeal filed by Benue State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Benjamin Omale, after developments made the case unnecessary for judicial determination.

The appeal, marked CA/MKD/1199/2024, was originally filed by Dr Omale to challenge a lower‑court decision that had awarded the position of State Chairman to Mr Augustine Agada.

While the appeal was pending, a significant change altered the political and legal context of the dispute. Mr Agada’s tenure expired, prompting a new State Congress of the APC in Benue State that elected Dr Omale as the substantive State Chairman.

Following this development, Dr Omale formally applied to withdraw the appeal, arguing that the subject matter had been overtaken by events and no longer presented a live controversy requiring adjudication.

In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeal granted the application and struck out the appeal, holding that there was no longer a live issue for determination. The court also ordered that each party bear its own costs.

The ruling effectively ended the appellate proceedings stemming from the earlier leadership dispute within the Benue APC.

Reacting to the outcome, senior legal practitioner and APC chieftain of Benue State, Mr Terfa Jirgba, described the decision as a logical conclusion of an academic exercise, noting that the expiration of Mr Agada’s tenure had made further litigation unnecessary. He added that the judiciary should not be burdened with matters already overtaken by events and that the court acted within its powers in striking out the appeal.

The internal crisis had originally stemmed from leadership disputes that led to legal battles over the legitimacy of the state executive committee.